Phonica Records

Phonica Records opened its doors in 2003 amidst a climate of closing record stores and splintering genres in electronic music. Founded by Simon Rigg, Tom Relleen and Heidi Van Den Amstel—with backing from The Vinyl Factory, who run FACT Magazine and the original EMI vinyl pressing plant—Phonica’s goal was to be a destination for all kinds of dance and electronic music and to be a welcoming, knowledgeable hub, open to all. The shop opened with little fanfare but slowly built up a strong word-of-mouth reputation, initially bolstered by the trio’s relationship to their previous shop, Koobla Records, based nearby on Berwick Street. During Phonica’s early years, it carved out a niche for itself championing new genres such as electro house, minimal and micro house, mostly from German labels such as Kompakt, Perlon and Playhouse. In 2007, Phonica’s eponymous record label launched, initially to put out records by enthusiastic DJ and producer staff members such as Hector, Anthea and Will Saul. It also quickly became a place to introduce new artists, putting out early releases by now well-known producers such as Peggy Gou, Paul Woolford and Midland (as well as harnessing the talents of well-respected legends like Four Tet and Roman Flügel). Fast-forward to 2023 and the label has gone from strength to strength, spawning a number of sub-labels—Phonica White, Phonica Records Special Editions, Karakul and the recently launched Phonica AM—each with its own musical flavour and direction.